You are here

Ealing Half Marathon 2013 - Race Report

The second Ealing Half Marathon took place on Sunday 29th September, this time passing through Pitshanger Lane and Pitshanger Park. Very nearly 4,000 runners completed the course, providing a magnificent spectacle as they flowed like a human river along the Lane, then via Curzon and Meadvale Roads into the Park. Kenyan Matthew Kimutai was first home in a blistering 1:04:33. The first Pitshanger-ite to finish, as far as we know, was Chris Dettmar, 11th overall and 2nd in the Men’s 40-49 category with a time of 1:15:20. Pictured below are the winner Matthew Kimutai followed closely (?) by local runners John Martin, Fiona Kennedy (Pitshanger Bookshop), PCA Committee member George Hazlewood and former PCA Committee Member Dave Wallis.

Dave takes up the story: “As I turned into Pitshanger Lane I grabbed some water from the enthusiastic bottle-thrusters outside St Barnabas church and gulped it down on top of the half litre I’d had at the start, not realising the devastating consequences this would have by the time I reached the shops. A few shouts from people I knew in the crowd, mainly concerning things they’d lent me, some high fives, and I found myself pointing to my house in Selby Road and telling a steward that it was a choice between a quick trip home or a ‘Paula Radcliffe’ moment.

“Now, I don’t know what she said to the crowd, but the chants of ‘we know where you’ve been!’ when I re-emerged onto the Lane were uncalled for and took me out of ‘The Zone’ which elite athletes such as myself need to be in to achieve our best performances, apparently. Also completely unrequired on voyage was the wag at the bottom of Curzon Road whose vital information that there were “only nine miles to go” was nearly returned with the observation that he’d find it much less than that to the nearest A&E department, despite the cuts.

“So, the computer says I was thirty seconds slower this year, but subtract four minutes for the rest stop (the cats needed feeding as well) and I have a new personal best. Mind you, that’s the last time I’m doing it. Definitely. At least until next year. (Memo to self - no water, and feed the cats before you go).”